Domestic violence reports doubled after Bernice Cassar's murder

The number of domestic violence reports received by the police doubled in the week after mother-of-two Bernice Cassar was shot dead last month in Corradino, allegedly by her estranged husband.

“After that case, we saw a spike in reports for about a week. We were getting about 13 or 14 reports a day when usually we’d get about six,” said Superintendent Johann Fenech, who heads the police vice squad.

Superintendent Johann Fenech. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Fenech puts the increase in reports down to victims’ fear of having something more drastic happen to them should they not file a police report.

In an interview, he spoke about what filing a report entails and the burnout faced by members of the squad’s domestic violence unit amid the increase in reports over the years.

The unit came in for criticism following the murder of Cassar, who was shot dead while driving to work at Corradino industrial estate last month. Her estranged husband,  Roderick Cassar has been charged with femicide and is pleading not guilty.

After the shooting, her relatives and friends spoke out about a system that they said had failed Bernice.

She had left the matrimonial home in May after her husband allegedly...